Microsoft's big splash at this year's E3 was SmartGlass which they pimped as the ability to control your Xbox using peripherals you already own like iPads, other tablets or smartphones. The press conference showed Joe Madden calling plays in Madden as a way for SmartGlass to enhance games you play with your controller. But a new patent dug up today suggests there might be more to SmartGlass than just neat ways to control your Xbox dashboard or to watch Netflix movies; you may not even need the old controller anymore. The figures and descriptions for a "virtual controller" appear to ape the accoutrements of the standard Xbox controller on any kind of device. Soon, you may be able to play games on your Xbox using whatever device you have in front of you at the time.

The patent description states "the virtual controller implements a Microsoft Xbox virtual controller." Well, that makes it clear.

From the images it is possible to deduce that Microsoft wants us to interact with the Xbox using whatever device is available to consumers, regardless if it is made by Microsoft or not. Adopting an open system strategy for the Xbox might be the final push that will ensure the next version of the console completes the transition from "gaming box" to "home entertainment system".

The similarity to the Wii U Gamepad isn't an accident, either. On the off chance that Nintendo's experiment with asynchronous play being the next big thing in gaming, Microsoft has a platform to deliver those goods too.

Now, be aware these are just patent documents and not a complete strategy, but looking at the whole picture of Kinect, SmartGlass, the update to the My Xbox Live app on Apple's store and Microsoft is positioned extremely well for the next generation.

Let me guess - you'll get it for free on Microsoft powered phones, but you'll have to pay for Xbox live in order to actually connect via the net instead of a local network. For non Microsoft products they will charge you for the application, and you'll have to pay for the Xbox live subscription in order to use it via the net. There won't be any real support on any non microsoft platform, and the system will bug out more often than work.

Too bad they gimped my Forza experience by denying me the ability to use my G25 steering wheel with the xbox360. Still a bit pissed about that. Oh but I could pay an extra $600+ bucks to wait an undisclosed amount of time to get ANOTHER steering wheel of loosely comparable quality and features to have a decent driving experience. Like I don't already own enough f'n steering wheels.

But now I'll be able to use my iphone? Yawn.

A little too late and misguided, MS, but thanks for making Forza's peripheral situation a garbage, consumer-unfriendly one.

Its a nice idea and all, but Will they actually use it? I'm actually surprised they hadn't don't something like this already. Going back to the Xbox360 announcement, they talked about some features that seem like precursors to this idea, but never went through with them. Oh well we shall see.

its sounds roughly the same as the Wii U but is actually nothing like it.

smacks of trying to keep up with the Joneses tbh...again.

firstly the a Wii U controller comes packaged with the console whereas this requires you to have a separate device which represent additional outlay. admittedly that's probably not a huge concern for many people but it's still there and just like the kinetic represent lump of money in terms of hardware to measure up to an alternative that gives you roughly the same experience "all inclusive" for a lower price.

console gaming's meant to be the cheap option remember.

secondly there are no gaming controls on a moblie phone or ipad like tablet.the fact it draws them on the screen is hardly up to par.

thirdly the Wii U controller/console interaction is such that the display on the controller is streamed from the console in real time.

this is an entirely different dynamic from simply creating a asynchronous interface on a mobile phone and it's highly doubtful that a phone or tablet could even come close to the fidelity of what will be streamed to the Wii U controller or that the 360s aging hardware will even be attempting real time multi screen HD definition streaming...hell, the xbox can't even render one screen at 1080p natively and instead uses a hardware scaling chip to scale up from 720p.

as such any phone or pad used would have to render anything that would be being displayed on it using its own internal hardware as opposed to merely displaying a real time stream being generated by the console and this holds implications both in terms of usable battery life and the level of product lifetime affecting usage you'd be placing on a 3rd party device not constructed with the role in mind.

i suspect this will end up little more than a "look we have one of these too" marketing gimmick that is quickly seen as not actually being comparable to the Wii Us controller at all once people grasp how that device performs in situ and that swiftly it will become become seen as little more than a fancy pseudo "remote" (which is what it originally was developed as)...although to be fair not many people understand the Wii Us controller itself quite yet.

captcha : battle royal...nah i don't think so this time Captcha, certainly no more so than the Wii remote VS kinetic...a battle that was over before it even began...

"Soon, you'll play Xbox games with your iPhone". No, I sure as fuck won't be. While the very concept in question is on par with the Kinect and other similarly crap control schemes in retardation, it'll also be because I will never own an iPhone.

When will these article authors pull their heads out of Apple's ass and stop defaulting to 'iPhone' every time they talk about phones with slightly more functions than a carrier pigeon? Do they get paid for the product placement? Do they gain some sort of hipster pleasure at namedropping those overpriced and outdated pieces of crap at every turn?

Touch screens are not nearly as precise as regular button control, and for that reason, I'll be passing on these sorts of apps, barring the Halo one that would be used only for checking out stats or joining games.

It's not copying if its the next big step towards what we can get. It'd be pretty cool to turn on my xbox by hitting an app on my phone, then starting up a game of Halo while I go look for food, then come back and have the game ready (With my actual controller next to me)

Mobile-quality sound, touchscreen controls meaning my fingers stop me seeing what I'm doing and constantly missing the button I mean to press, the ultimate drain of a phone's battery and having sunlight shining on the screen while you're trying to play on public transport?I'll pass.

I don't understand why so many people are having such hatred towards this. It's not going to replace your controllers. I highly doubt any developer is going to forced their consumers to buy a tablet or such just to play their xbox game.

It's not copying if its the next big step towards what we can get. It'd be pretty cool to turn on my xbox by hitting an app on my phone, then starting up a game of Halo while I go look for food, then come back and have the game ready (With my actual controller next to me)

I picture it working sort of like this guy's described, basically you can use your phone or tablet as a remote for your xbox not an actual controller.

At worse this sounds like a cheap gimmick I'll never end up using. At best it helps increase people's accessibility. I see no harm in it.

So, this doesn't let you play games on whatever you happen to have in front of you, just with whatever you have in front of you?Yeah, I get the feeling that this sounded better on paper, but it just seems kinda pointless to me.

There is never going to be a situation where I turn on my Xbox but won't have my controller nearby.

Deviate:"Soon, you'll play Xbox games with your iPhone". No, I sure as fuck won't be. While the very concept in question is on par with the Kinect and other similarly crap control schemes in retardation, it'll also be because I will never own an iPhone.

When will these article authors pull their heads out of Apple's ass and stop defaulting to 'iPhone' every time they talk about phones with slightly more functions than a carrier pigeon? Do they get paid for the product placement? Do they gain some sort of hipster pleasure at namedropping those overpriced and outdated pieces of crap at every turn?

Bloody hell...

Seriously, this. I couldn't agree more. It's so refreshing to see that most everyone here has the above opinion. Now, if they made it completely optional, then sure, I wouldn't mind at all.

Terminate421:It's not copying if its the next big step towards what we can get. It'd be pretty cool to turn on my xbox by hitting an app on my phone, then starting up a game of Halo while I go look for food, then come back and have the game ready (With my actual controller next to me)

You literally have to press 1 button on the controller to remote start up the console and it will only play the game whose disk is in the tray (by pressing the "A" button if the console booted up) unless it's a downloaded one so what's the point of this?It already is easy as hell to start the thing up without touching it, why do you think we need a phone for it?Starting it up from work? An xbox 360 only takes ~8 seconds to boot.

This is not a new idea, it's been possible to use an iPhone as a controller for PC/Mac for ages. There's already an app to use an iphone/ipod as a keypad and touch pad. The thing is, Microsoft were the ones blocking this, with their precious wireless controller technology pushing peripheral prices up, and things like virtual controllers out of the realm of possibility. Every 360 controller manufacturer has to pay a fee to use their controller technology, that's why 360 peripherals cost more than on other consoles. That's why my PS3 has a kick-ass steering wheel, mouse and nunchuck controller, and a fricken skateboard controller, while my 360 has nout.

But ohh, genius Microsoft patent the idea as if it's their own, so they can impliment it themselves. It's not even innovation, it's a mindless app idea that adds absolutely nothing. The touch screen isn't being used for anything but virtual controls, non-tactile shitty controls in other words. Why don't they send a video feed, make it possible to use the 360 in realtime - just like what is already possible with PC's.

I thought M$ were done with this sort of bullshit - they have basically stolen the whole idea from indi developers. I was doing this on my NDS about 6 years ago, better, with more features (playing BF2142 actually), for M$ to apply for a patent is a fucking joke.

Who wants this gimmicky bullshit? How is this making video games better? All it's doing is giving MS another way to pander.

We don't need our goddamn iphones to do EVERYTHING. I don't even have one, and the more people turn them into these sort of all-purpose gadgets, the more resistant I become to ever getting one. Honestly, that's the reason I don't have one: because I see how everyone else has turned the thing into the Center of Their Universe and I shudder to imagine being that tied to a gadget.

I played Crash Bandicoot on a Sony tablet recently and by played I mean I jumped into the very first pit and had difficulty landing on top of a crate because touch controls make it so much harder to do the smallest things. Unless it's a game like Infinity Blade, built for touch controls, I just refuse to play anything on a touch screen.